NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who won the recent Presidential Election, did not incur any personal expenses for his campaign, according to a document released by the Election Commission on Thursday, detailing the expenditures of candidates in the 2024 Presidential Election. However, the NPP spent a total of Rs. 528 million on election-related activities for his campaign.
According to the document, SJB candidate Sajith Premadasa incurred the highest expenses in the 2024 Presidential Election, with total spending exceeding Rs. 1.12 billion. This included Rs. 936.3 million from Premadasa’s own funds and an additional Rs. 194.1 million contributed by the SJB.
Independent candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe was the second-highest spender, with total expenditure reaching Rs. 990.3 million, making him the top spender among independent candidates.
SLPP presidential candidate Namal Rajapaksa, who finished fourth, also did not use personal funds for his campaign. His party spent Rs. 388.9 million on his behalf.
Entrepreneur Dilith Jayaweera, however, spent Rs. 324.6 million from personal funds, with his party incurring no expenses for his campaign.
Under the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act, all candidates were required to submit detailed reports on their campaign spending for the 2024 Presidential Election. The Gazette stipulated that the maximum allowable expenditure per candidate per voter was Rs. 109, resulting in a total permissible limit of Rs. 1.87 billion per candidate, based on the number of eligible voters.
Of the 38 candidates who contested the presidential election, 35 have submitted their expense reports, which are now on display at the Election Commission office in Rajagiriya and at all district secretariats.
